#45 – Lieut. Edmund Kirby

28092008

Report of Lieut. Edmund Kirby, First U.S. Artillery

O.R.– SERIES I–VOLUME 2 [S# 2] — CHAPTER IX, p. 407

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 23, 1861

SIR: I submit the following report:

On Sunday, July 21, Capt. J. B. Ricketts was ordered to place his battery in position at about one thousand five hundred yards from the enemy. An order was afterwards received to advance about one thousand yards, which was executed at a trot, and where we remained in battery, firing as fast as possible, until obliged to retreat, leaving six rifled guns on the field.

Capt. J. B. Ricketts was severely wounded at this critical moment, and First Lieut. Douglas Ramsay was killed.

Lieut. W. A. Elderkin conducted the limbers and caissons to the rear, as I was separated from the battery at the moment the retreat became general. I joined the battery soon after and continued the retreat, but was obliged to abandon everything at Bull Run except three limbers and fifty-six horses.

The non-commissioned officers and privates acted with great bravery, and remained on the field as long as possible. Our casualties are: Left on the field, 6 rifled guns and 49 horses; abandoned on the read, 6 caissons, 3 limbers, 1 battery-wagon, and 1 forge.

Dulce bellum inexpertis

“I am sending you these little incidents as I hear them well authenticated. They form, to the friends of the parties, part of the history of the glorious 21st. More anon.”

About

Hello! I’m Harry Smeltzer and welcome to Bull Runnings, where you'll find my digital history project on the First Battle of Bull Run which is organized under the Bull Run Resources section. I'll also post my thoughts on the processes behind the project and commentary on the campaign, but pretty much all things Civil War are fair game. You'll only find musings on my “real job” or my personal life when they relate to this project. My mother always told me "never discuss politics or religion in mixed company”, and that's sound advice where current events are concerned.

The Project

This site is more than a blog. Bull Runnings also hosts digitized material pertaining to First Bull Run. In the Bull Run Resources link in the masthead and also listed below are links to Orders of Battle, After Action Reports, Official Correspondence, Biographical Sketches, Diaries, Letters, Memoirs, Newspaper Accounts and much, much more. Take some time to surf through the material. This is a work in process with no end in sight, so check back often!